Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Yep, we've had stormy weather here this last week - but I'm talking about Miss P hitting the coast. She's probably on her way with Papa right now! I have a haircut appointment today and DH said if I rode along I would be sure to jinx it - we wouldn't get back in time ... so I have made room in the sewing room for the royal port-a-crib, vacuumed and scrubbed floors. Now I'm going to enjoy the quiet - for a little while.

What a spring! I am so glad I got the wedding quilt done - but it put me way behind! I had a "LIST" to accomplish before today and I've only got a tiny bit of hand binding left. What a relief!

I went up to a favorite quilt shop an hour from home this month to get Thimbleberries panels for wall quilts for my mom. Last year there were 6 different designs there to pick from - this spring - not a one!! Panic! But they had a new pattern. Kim Schaefer's Calendar Quilts - 12 months of fun fusible projects. Looked cute - but it was sealed and didn't really tell the size of the finished wall quilts. It's sealed in a large envelope - not really a pattern, but not a book either! New packaging - which seems to be the up and coming thing! When I got it home - the size was 2" too big for mom's space! [Just once I'd like it to be the right size!!!] The layout-pattern is lifesize which created a few problems at the copy machine reducing it!!

BUT they turned out darling! My colors aren't as bright as Kim's but they are both all from stash so life is good. 'A Little Spring' is for Mom's 92nd birthday next week and 'Picnic Season' is for Mom's day. I followed the pattern exactly on the flowers [those of you who know me - take a deep breath - I know it's a shock!!] but it was a little busy [that will teach me!!] So when I did the watermelon I left off the squares in the borders and I like it better!!

So I'm chasing Miss P for the next day and a half and then back up to Portland on Friday - I leave for Nebraska at o'dark-thirty Saturday morning. I'm not taking my laptop computer this trip - DH will be alternating his time between Brookings and Newport and he needs it. So who knows how much I'll be online. I'm trying to relax on this trip - take deep breaths because the next three months will be a blur with the move and then the wedding. Be patient - there will be weekly posts again - someday!!

By the way - when I logged on to my blog to write this - I admired the wedding quilt for the umpteenth time ... and noticed a humility block! Good grief! We didn't see it when I was laying it out, while I was sewing each quarter and when I sewed it together!!! And as far as I know - no one else noticed it either! Let me know if you can find it!!! LOL! At this point - it's there forever!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Let me just say here - I love the design. I think that it came thru as I'd imagined. I saw the zigzag log cabin design in a lap quilt on Mary Johnson's website. I just enlarged it and added the "Love Stamps" which are fun - better in person, they don't look so tiny. It's 90% from stash!! I had to buy a few yellows [not my favorite color] so I figure 15-18 yards from the stash. Would be more, but I bought the back. I also learned alot working on this quilt.

Number 1: If you're making a very large quilt. Don't make the joins on the half - think about it - how do you fold large sheets? Do you really want to fold on the joined batting/backing seams over the years? Too bad I didn't think of that before ... the poor happy couple will be told to fold it in thirds for the rest of it's life ... poor babies!!

Number 2: It would have been better to seam the backing, the batting and then handsew the front joining it together. I did it the opposite and am not thrilled with the how the logs 'fluffed up'. I doubt anyone else is going to notice ... until I point it out!!! LOL! Which I will practice NOT doing tommorrow at guild! I promise.

Number 3: Just because you have enough blocks doesn't mean you really should make it that big! A 98"x98" quilt would have been just as good! And easier to handle when sewing!!

Number 4: Maybe I overreacted to all the quilt repair I've been required to do since retiring out here ... but when machine quilting on my DSM - I used a specialty stitch that takes a 'divot stitch' on each side of the seam when stitching 'in the ditch'. I think it will be stronger for heavy use ... but it doesn't look elegant enough for a wedding quilt! Speaking of elegance - what exactly does a mother of the groom wear to a 'camping wedding? Beige khakis???

But, I'm thrilled to have it done before all the excitement of moving and the wedding celebrations/company starts! Not that I'm done with wedding stuff - I volunteered to make 8 totebags for the wedding party - I MUST have been HIGH on chocolate!! They will have to wait til I get back from Nebraska next month. Maybe even after we move!

I am so-o behind on all the other little projects that were on hold for the last month! Today I worked on mom's birthday wallquilt; but behind on about 5 other projects too! But it's DONE!! Let the celebration begin!!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

March weather at the coast. We've been having HUGE waves lately - no beach to walk. Too scary!!

I'm going to frame and pin baste that last quarter of the wedding quilt today! Hope to have it quilted by Saturday and spend Sunday putting all 4 quarters together. Then I'll have to see what solid or dark tone-on-tone I have for binding. Anything will go with this scrap quilt!

Also have been traveling up and down the highway - from Portland to Newport, from Newport to Brookings ... both condos look pretty big after 'living in my car'!

That reminds me of my Mom and Dad traveling to Mexico with their trailer every winter. When they came back and moved into their 1000 square foot lake house, they thought it was spacious. As Dad said, "It's walls as far as you can see!"

Miss P joke - in the car she told mommy that she learned the letter W.